Black-eyed Pea Petites are absolutely delicious appetizers that are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. These fiber-rich, mini kebabs are a great option for tea-time snacks and can be made gluten free with gluten-free bread crumbs. Let’s get started… 

WHAT YOU WILL NEED

Ingredients

Note: 1 cup = 235 ml

1. 1 cup / 1 can black-eyed peas, soaked
2. 1 medium size potato
3. 1 Tbsp. green chili
4. 1 Tbsp. ginger
5. 2 garlic pods
6. 1 cup bread crumbs, whole wheat or gluten-free
7. Salt to taste (1 tsp. salt)
8. 2 Tbsp. corn starch powder
9. 6 ½ cups water
10. 2 cups oil for deep frying (I used 500 ml grape seed oil) 

Kitchen Tools

1. Instant Pot / Pressure Cooker / Large Pot
2. Small and medium blender jar and blender
3. Small mixing bowl and fork
4. Medium size mixing bowl
5. Deep frying pan / Appam pan / Air Fryer 
6. Spider ladle
7. Large plate
8. Paper towel

PREPARATION (with step-by-step photos)

Step 1 – Wash and soak 1 cup black-eyed peas in 3 cups of water for 4-6 hours (or overnight) and drain the water after soaking. Follow step 2 if using dry black-eyed peas. If using canned peas, boil 1 medium sized potato and skip to step 3

Step 2 – Pressure cook the black-eyed peas and 1 medium sized whole potato by adding 3 cups of water in an Instant Pot for 5 minutes on manual-high mode with the valve in sealing position. If using a pressure cooker, follow the same measurements and cook for 5 whistles. If using open pot method, cook the peas until they are soft and easily mashable with your fingers

Step 3 – Peel the boiled potato. Mash it with a fork in a small mixing bowl and set aside

Step 4 – Blend together 1 Tbsp. green chili, 1 Tbsp. ginger, and 2 garlic pods in a small blender jar. Set the paste aside

Step 5 – Heat 2 cups (500 ml) grapeseed (or any other high smokepoint) oil on medium to high heat setting for deep frying at 375°F to 400°F (190°C to 204°C) 

If you own a kitchen thermometer, I recommend using it here. This way you can be sure not to over heat the oil beyond its heat tolerance or else you’ll end up with a burnt outside and an undercooked inside

Alternatively, you can shallow fry these in an appam pan. I am yet to try baking or air frying them

Step 6 – While the oil is heating, drain the water from cooked black-eyed peas. If using canned black-eyed peas, wash and drain the water completely

Step 7 – In a blender, pulse cook the black-eyed peas, 2 Tbsp. of ginger-garlic-chilli paste (from Step 4), and 1 cup bread crumbs (you may substitute with 1 cup gluten-free bread crumbs as well)

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You can use a food processor and pulse everything together in one go avoiding separate steps to mash potatoes and to make the ginger-garlic-chilli paste

Step 8 – Add the mashed potato and salt to taste (1 tsp. salt). and knead until everything comes together like a soft dough

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Step 9 – Make tiny balls (1 heaped Tbsp. scoop) and press them between your palms to make tiny patties / kebabs. Each should be the size of a mini idli

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At this time, if  you find the dough is too wet and sticky add some bread crumbs (1 Tbsp. at a time). On the other hand, if it is too dry and not coming together, add a little cornstarch water 1 tsp. at a time (see step 10)

Step 10 – Mix 2 Tbsp. cornstarch and ¼ cup water in a small bowl with a fork and set it aside. Make sure there are no lumps 

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Check the temperature of the oil to see if it is ready (375°F). You can also test by dropping a pea sized dough in the hot oil and if the dough floats up immediately, you are good to go

Step 11 – Dip the patties / kebabs in the cornstarch liquid and deep fry until golden brown. As you dip the patties, if you notice the cornstarch liquid thicken, add remaining 1/4 cup water little at a time as needed

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Step 12 – Transfer the fried kebabs using a spider ladle to a paper lined plate to drain the excess oil 

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Step 13 – Enjoy your sublime Black-eyed Pea Petites with Cilantro Yogurt Dip😋

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Cooking accidents that end up in disasters are a story for another time, but sometimes these do lead to pleasant surprises. I have had times where I started to make a dish, came out of the kitchen with a ‘somewhat different’ (or at times entirely new) dish and then ended up with the task of coming up with a name for my new creation 🙂 Black-eyed pea petites is one such dish. My Telugu friends from Andhra Pradesh make a dish called Bobbarlu Vada / Alasanda vada (deep-fried crispy fritters with black-eyed peas that have a dense texture). I had a craving for this one day but did not have black-eyed peas for soaking. The desire to have them was so powerful that I started to make it with a can of black-eyed peas that was lying in the pantry.  Since the texture of pre-cooked peas is different from soaked, uncooked peas, the fritters started to break apart in the oil (one of my many cooking accidents that day). A quick fix that I could think of was to add bread crumbs and cornstarch to make the batter hold its shape when frying. The result was crispier and tastier than Bobbarlu and also much lighter/airier in texture (think masala vada v/s kebab). These black-eyed pea petites will make you feel as if you’re eating Kurkures / Cheetos – you’ll want more with each bite😋

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